


Cocoa

by DeCarabas



Category: Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Gen, Post-Trespasser
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2016-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-15 21:11:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7238629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeCarabas/pseuds/DeCarabas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A reunion. For the prompt "sharing a drink."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cocoa

“It’s a Qunari thing,” Merrill says as she pays the vendor and passes a mug to Mahariel, rising steam smelling deliciously of cocoa and coffee and cinnamon. “Well, it’s mostly a Qunari thing. Now it’s sort of our thing. The alienage’s, I mean. Did you hear about all that business with the Qunari? Of course you did,” she answers herself immediately, and Mahariel’s eyes over the rim of the cup are amused.

“I like it,” Mahariel signs.

They settle beneath the branches of the vhenadahl, and it’s a bit too cold to be sitting out here and she’s got a nice warm fireplace inside, but Mahariel looked uncomfortable indoors. And she talks about the new cocoa stalls outside the alienage, and about her meetings with Varric up at the Viscount’s Keep, and about last week’s party celebrating Lia’s promotion, the first person from the alienage to ever join the city guard.

Mahariel’s vallaslin need a touch up. They’ve gone a bit faded. And she thinks hers probably have too, and she should check a mirror. And then she bites her lip and she drinks her cocoa, and Mahariel watches her and signs, “You’ve changed.”

Has she? She doesn’t feel like she has. Not really. Maybe a little. She thinks of blood and the boots she’s started wearing and more time spent indoors than can possibly be good for her, but Mahariel’s smiling, though it looks a little sad. Wistful.

“You’re a good Keeper.”

And she splutters, and she starts to protest, but Mahariel’s smile is catching. And she looks up at the branches of the vhenadahl she’s grown to love spreading over her alienage, her people.


End file.
